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Passionate football fans take heed: watching your team lose a big game could be hazardous to your health.

Researchers presenting at the American College of Cardiology meeting in Orlando say they found that overall and circulatory death rates in Los Angeles rose the Rams were defeated in the 1980 Super Bowl.

Four years later, deaths declined after the city's other team - the Raiders - triumphed in the US football championship game.

"The emotional stress of loss and/or the intensity of a game played in a high profile rivalry such as the Super Bowl can trigger total and cardiovascular deaths," says Dr Robert Kloner, a professor of medicine at the University of Southern California, who presented the study.

"In contrast, a win in a lower intensity game may actually have a favourable effect on mortality."

Kloner says fans who get excited during sporting events and have risk factors for heart disease should consult their doctor before a big game.

Drugs such as beta-blockers, aspirin or anti-anxiety drugs could help them, as could relaxation exercises, such as deep breathing, he says.

"I'm not suggesting that people not watch the Super Bowl," Kloner says. "People should be aware of this and I suspect it applies to other sports as well."

Heart-breaking loss

A recent German study found viewing a stressful World Cup soccer match led to increased cardiovascular events for fans of the losing team.

The US researchers wanted to see if similar results would occur with a major American sporting event.

They analysed data on all-cause death rates from Los Angeles County for the day of the game and the following two weeks after the game, and compared deaths for similar periods in January and February for 1980 to 1983 and from 1984 to 1988.

Researchers found a 22% increase in circulatory deaths and a 17% increase in overall deaths in the Super Bowl-losing year compared to control years.

Kloner says the 1980 game was a particularly intense game with the lead changing seven times. The Rams also were in their first Super Bowl.

"These factors may have made the fans more emotionally involved," Kloner says.

In contrast, Los Angeles County saw a 6% decrease in deaths the year the Raiders won, the study found.